January 13, 2009

The community of food bloggers is an amazing group of people. They entertain and amuse, provide many a feast for the eyes, and are always quick with an encouraging word. I’ve been amazed by the generosity of my fellow bloggers, and I'd like to thank you all for everything you do!

I recently received the gift of all gifts, Vietnamese cinnamon bark, from two separate sources. Todd & Diane, the White on Rice Couple, took it upon themselves to send me some simply because they knew about my cinnamon obsession. Then, immediately thereafter, I was the oh-so-fortunate winner of a sampling of the bark from Krysta of Evil Chef Mom. Imagine my delight—so much cinnamon, and all for me!

In light of the new year and that resolution thing, I’ve decided to share my bounty. It’s hard, believe you me, because this is some powerfully amazing stuff. I’ll show you a couple of the things I’ve used it in soon, but in the meantime, I want to hold a little contest.

To enter, all you have to do is make a recipe containing at least one teaspoon of cinnamon, although more is encouraged. Send it to me at asoutherngrace @ gmail . com using the subject "Cinnamon Celebration" by February 13, along with a picture of your creation, your name, the name of your blog, and the link to your post.

Also, please link this page in your post and feel free to display the slightly illegible little logo below. If you don't have a blog but would like to participate, just send me your recipe, your name, and a picture, if desired.

*UPDATE: Although I'd prefer a new post, you can certainly submit a dish that you've already discussed.

The challenge is officially open when this post goes up and will close at 12 pm EST on Friday, February 13th. (However, I’ve been known to be pretty flexible about such things...) A round-up will follow shortly thereafter (hopefully right in time for Valentine's Day!).

I hope you’ll enter and do what you can to bring attention to the best spice in all the lands. I’ll use that ubiquitous random number generator to pick a winner, and that person will receive a bit of my Vietnamese cinnamon stash. And trust me, if you like cinnamon at all, you’ll want to win.

I probably use more cinnamon than any other spice that I own. I just love that spice! And Saigon cinnamon is the best. I will be thinking about my best cinnamon recipe-it might be hard to narrow it down.

ok - here is my question to you.... my mom gave me some of this stuff... and i am not sure how to use it. i mean, i have a microplane and i have a coffee grinder dedicated to spices..but do you wash it first, and then let it dry before using? it doesn't look very clean :P

In reply to Jaime: You don't need to wash it first, despite appearance it's perfectly clean and was inspected when entering the country. The microplane route is fine for garnishing with cinnamon, but to bring out real flavor for cooking, use the coffee mill and a sifter if you have one. The Vietnamese cinnamon is the best one for grinding fresh; the pretty Indonesian sticks you usually find come from the more visually appealing bark on the tops of the trees (first cut) instead of the uglier but far more flavorful bark towards the bottom. With the Vietnamese cassia, it's high enough oil to get great flavor from any of the bark.

I'm obsessed with cinnamon. I put at least 1t of cinnamon in my morning oatmeal every day. Never ventured into the other types of cinnamon, just cheap store-brand. I suppose I'll have to try it one way or another. Count me in, I'll submit my recipe soon!